RIO FERDINAND has bet Peter Crouch Manchester United will finish above Liverpool this season.
And with a crate of wine on the line for the winner, the ex-Red Devil says he’s ‘confident in my boys’.
Rio Ferdinand bet Peter Crouch Manchester United will finish above Liverpool this seasonCredit: BT Sport
The pair have been on BT Sport punditry duties this week and presenter Jake Humphrey revealed their wager.
Unsurprisingly, both ex-players are backing their former sides to come out on top – but not necessarily to win the Premier League.
Crouchy said: “Hold on, hold on – we didn’t say title.
“I said Liverpool would finish above Manchester United and I stand by it.
“I’m not saying that [they won’t win the league] but the bet was they’ll finish above Manchester United.”
Fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas asked if the hands were shaken before or after United’s shock home defeat to Sheffield United.
Ferdinand replied: “After. I’m confident. I’m confident in my boys, they will be alright.
“They will finish above Liverpool.”
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Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Tottenham on Thursday night took the reigning champions up to fourth on 37 points from their 20 matches.
They sit two places and three points behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men with Leicester in between in third.
Manchester City are top on 41 and also have a game in hand on their closest rivals.
Humphrey dug out the clip from Tuesday of Ferdinand boldly stating United will go top of the league on Wednesday… only for Chris Wilder’s side to take all three points from Old Trafford.
Ferdinand, in fairness, appreciated the banter and had earlier taken to Instagram to laugh at himself.
The ex-defender added: “I posted that so it’s alright.
“Listen we’ve had a barren spell so you’ve got to enjoy it when it starts looking like it’s getting a bit better.
“Listen, I’m a football fan, we get emotional. We love the highs and we have to take the lows on the chin.”
Crouch made it clear they were not backing their former sides to win the titleCredit: BT Sport
Humphrey asked Jenas who he is tipping for the title and he quipped back in an instant: “I think Spurs will finish above them both, to be honest!”
Some on social media are worried Ferdinand has jinxed it against United after his previous predictions and statements did not age so well.
One fan wrote: “Rio the Jinx machine, thank you for making sure United will now finish 8th.”
Another said: “Ay you need to make Rio shut up – why’s he tempting fate at all man?”
And a third added: “He’s done it again,” with a crying emoji.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are two places and three points clear of Jurgen Klopp’sCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk